


Say You Mean It.

by Late



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Fluffy Ending, Hancock's POV, Other, Sarcasm, enjoy the fluff, i had a dream as i was waking up and this is what came from it, the good doctor here only makes a short appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 11:12:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8842441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Late/pseuds/Late
Summary: John Hancock and the Sole Survivor run for their lives from a horde of Mirelurks, when the mayor trips and finds that he's fallen in love.
ignore the cheesiness of that last sentence, it's really not that simple.





	

It's dark, wet, and the Mirelurks chasing us aren't helping.

Can't remember how exactly we got into this mess, but whether it's the adrenaline pushing me forward or the drugs keeping my mind fuzzy, I'm not sure. All I know right now is that it's really hard to run in loose boots through the mud. I do end up tripping, just as we reach the dock, on a broken plank of wood. The air gets knocked out of my chest and my eyes start blurring, though I can just barely see a hailstorm of bullets fly over my head. They look like shooting stars. Although I'm not really the superstitious type, I wish on any and all of those 10 millimeter stars that Sole can make it away with their life.

Not sure how long those bullets were flying by, but then I saw a face. Believe me or not, this face looked like an angel, radiating pure light and joy and all that happy fun bullshit. But this was no angel. Sole was standing over me, their face lined with fear and saying something, and then they were carrying me. Either I'm light as a feather, or they're as strong as 10 Brahmin, cause I swear they were running with me in their arms. And all of a sudden I can hear those words echoing through my skull; _"I won't let you die on me!"_

For a while now, I had wondered why a smoothskin such as them would want to travel with a ghoul like me. Not even a pre-war ghoul at that. But with the image of their face, tear stained yet determined burned into my pitch-black eyes, I think I figured it out.

Even with my skin looking and probably feeling like beef jerky, and my addiction to nearly every drug throughout the Commonwealth, they looked beyond that and liked what they saw. Still, it was hard to puzzle out how they like who I am, but I was content with the answer I made for myself. With a little smile, everything started to go dark.

My last thought before blacking out completely was this; _Boy, am I glad to have a friend like Sole._

 

When I woke up, once again, the only thing in my field of vision is their face. They seemed pretty worried at first, but with my eyes open all traces of that emotion fled. All that was left was their perfectly smooth skin set with relief.

"I thought you'd died, Hancock." Their voice, sweeter than honey, swam through my still-pounding skull and eased it just a tad. "Hey, quiet down, will ya?" I whispered hoarsely, my throat dry and more scratchy than usual. "Just woke up and I'm greeted with yelling." They hadn't been yelling, really, but my medicine addled brain managed to amplify their words to an almost painful amperage. They mouthed a quick 'sorry,' then glanced over to where I couldn't see. Another voice, still too loud.

"I see he's awake." Sole gave whoever it was a curt nod, looking back to me. This new guy was dark skinned, and I could already tell from the look he gave me that he ain't too fond of ghouls. "Tell me, how are you feeling? Don't leave out any details." I grinned, squinting almost playfully up at the man who I can safely guess is my doctor. "Well gee, Doc, after seein' your pretty face, I feel like a million caps."

My sarcasm wasn't lost on Sole, though the doctor didn't much appreciate the humor. "Please, this is a serious matter. Your wounds are healing, but we still think there's something wrong with you, so if you could-"

"There's always something wrong with me, doc. I once stabbed a guy cause he was bein' a jerk to my friend here. Don't mean I got a burst appendix." The sound of Sole's hushed snickering was music to my ears; or whatever was left of them, anyway. The doctor sighed and looked down at his clipboard, shaking his head and assuming I wouldn't notice.

"You're going to have a headache for a good while, but if you lay off the chems long enough, it might actually go away."

"My life is just one big headache, so pass me the mentats."

"Actually, those might kill you."

With both mine and Sole's eyebrows raised, he took a moment to soak up our confusion. Bastard. "If you take mentats, or jet, or any chem really, within the next 24 hours, it could have a bad reaction to the medicine we gave you and thin your already weak blood to the point of death. So I recommend you resist the addiction." I caught sight of his lab coat as he turned to leave, and mentally cursed that pristine white fabric to be washed with red paint.

There was silence for a moment, only broken by Sole's lightly tapping foot. I turned my head slowly, reaching my hand for theirs at the same time. This apparently caught them off guard, nearly making them jump out of their armor.

After I sounded off a chuckle, and they a sigh, I spoke up. "Sole... I want you to know how... How thankful I am. To have you as a friend."

They smiled and were about to speak, probably something like, "No need to thank me," but I wasn't finished. "Honestly, I would never have left Goodneighbor if it weren't for you. You reminded me that there's a whole 'nother world out there, just waiting to be saved. What I did for the ghouls and outcasts of Diamond City was a good start, but the rest of the Commonwealth still needs some cleaning up. And I can't just wait around for people to stumble upon my town; I need to go out and tell people, let them know that they have a chance for a better life."

It was at this point that I coughed. Violently. My entire frame was wracked with a dull pain as I hacked away, only stopping once I had almost completely sat up. I laid back down immediately, cause it certainly wasn't helping the pain in my skull. But once I caught my breath, and Sole made sure I hadn't somehow slipped some jet while they weren't looking, I resumed my speech. "Sorry for the rambling, but it's all true. You pretty much rescued me, back in Goodneighbor, and in that swamp however many hours ago."

They started blushing, eyes cast to the ground with a shyness behind them, their gentle smile radiating the unspoken thank you.

"You know," I started up again, causing them to look back at me. "I never would have taken you to be the ghoul loving freak you really are, but man am I grateful."

There was that laugh again. Such a beautiful sound, it should be illegal, outside of a choir of angels. They took a moment to regain some semblance of composure after that, making sure they didn't speak too loud for my sake.

"Well, I _do_ like ghouls. But _you're_ the only one I love."

My eyes went wide, though it seemed that Sole shared my surprise. And all of a sudden, they went shy, those bright pupils flitting about the room for something other than myself to look at. "Well, uh, th-thank you, Hancock. I-It means a lot to me." A short, nearly unbearable silence followed, lasting moments before they jumped up. "I'm gonna, uh, go find a bathroom. Or some food." They took one step before realizing they were still holding my hand with a death grip. Letting go after a second, they rushed out of the room and down the hall, with their face red as a tato.

And to think I couldn't understand before. They just announced that they loved me. And it wasn't just some sort of zombie fetish thing I don't know about, right? They did say, and I quote, "But you're the only ghoul I love."

The _only_ ghoul. Can't be a fetish, or they'd be humping every walking piece of brain-dead turkey skin we ran across. It was me.

I stayed there and stared at the ceiling, pretending for a second that I had some remaining tears to cry. Not out of sadness, of course not. I just felt so happy right then. If only I could stand up long enough to go find them again.

 

I don't know how long it was, but I eventually fell back asleep, only to wake up with a blanket draped over my aching figure. Sole was back, looking off at nothing. With a deep breath, I moved the blanket just enough so my arms were showing, puzzling together the words I wanted to use. Luckily they didn't notice the motion and I was still sleeping to them.

"You said you loved me." Their head hesitated, but turned to face me, and I could hear the gears in their head grinding to a halt. "Not your exact words, but you said it." They were clearly searching for an answer, and when nothing comes to them right away, it's most often never a good sign.

"Say you mean it."

Their mind stopped again, waiting for some sort of explanation. I pause, too, but only because I can feel my heart racing and my mind wandering to the worst. "Just say that you mean it, and I'm yours. If it was a spur of the moment quip to rival my sarcastic remark, then laugh it off and I'll understand. But say that you mean it, and..." I gulp softly, taking a hopefully quiet shuddering breath. "And I'll believe you."

Silence.

Before now, I never knew how painful a lack of sound could be. It only took me a few moments to assume they didn't know what they were saying, and I was about to turn my head and fall back asleep when they spoke.

"I mean it." Three words, and I'm left breathless.

They continue to speak, my pulse growing rapid with each word uttered. "I mean it, and have meant it, for a long time." Three more words, and it feels like time just stopped.

"I love you." If I still had any imaginary tears left, they'd be streaming down my wrinkled face.

I take a moment to let this sink in, and then I smile. "I love you too." And in that moment, I swear, I've never seen their face so bright.


End file.
